Religion

At a recent memorial service, the pastor depicted the ambivalent joy that emerged in his life because of his friendship with a parishioner who was, most assuredly, different.
It was not that she lacked physical ability or intellectual acumen. Her “difference” was she fearlessly spoke her mind when others might well have kept fearfully silent. She voiced her opinion in person, via email, by phone conversation, whenever and wherever she felt necessary.

I guess each of us, at one point or another in life, has had to make the crucial choice between fear and faith. We have had to opt for an abiding faith even if we are sometimes afraid.
We cannot serve two masters. We will either elect to abide in fear or to have an abiding faith.
The choice is not always clear nor comfortable. Fear is a powerful factor in our decision-making. I know I am often afraid. I am especially afraid of telling the truth when I know it will involve and evolve into communication that might well be confrontational.

Envy and jealousy plague the lives of good people. Yes, good people! Goodhearted individuals try hard to dispel those feelings but they persist in tormenting us, no matter how virtuous we are.
It could be we are troubled by an inability to believe in our own lovableness. Perhaps we suffer from poor self-images.
Whatever the reason, we frequently look around, see the luck and fortune others seem to enjoy and feel a twinge of envy. We crave what they have and long to change places with them.

They sit, husband and wife, intent on the songs and prayers of the worship service. I watch and see the grace of years spent together realized in his attentive gaze.
He is wary and caring, knowing that his wife has entered a new place, a new space in life. She is also embraced by the arms of dementia.